Cut-off for pneumatic musical instruments.



.N 871,123. f PATENTED Nov. 19, 1907.

T 1;. DE KLEIST. GUT-OFF FOR PNEUMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION TILED JAN. 1a, 1906.

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Wkbzgsses m fi/ fizz/611202 No. 871,123. 7 PATENTED NOV. 19, 1907. E. DEKLEIST.

GUT-OFF FOR PNEUMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 1a, 1906.

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No. 871,123. PATENTED NOV. 19, 1907. E. DB KLEIST. CUT-OFF FOR PNEUMATICMUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION nLnn JAN. 13. 1906. V a SHEETS-SHEET a.

M h'dyara flito r 11. e310 UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFHIE.

CUT-OFF FOR PNEUMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUNCENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 119, 1907.

Application filed January 1351906. Serial No. 295,915-

To all whom it (my concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE DE KLEIs'r, a citizen of the United States,residing at North Tonawanda, in the county of Niagara and State of NewYork, have invented a new and. useful Improvement in Cut-Oil's forPneumatic Musical Instruments, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to the cut-off devices employed in pneumaticpianos and other automatic musical instruments for cutting oilcommunication between the main bellows and the wind-chest during theautomatic rewinding of the perforated music sheet. I

It is the object of my invention to provide a reliable device of thischaracter which shall be simple in construction.

In the accompanying drawings consisting of three sheets 2 F igure 1 is afragmentary front elevation of an automatic piano embodyihg theinvention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the cut-ofi device.Fig. 3 is an end view thereof. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectionof the same in line 4-4, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a transverse section inline55, Fig. 2, showing the automatic suction regulating valve; Fig. 6 is adiagrammatic transverse section, on an enlarged scale, of the wind chestand the tracker mechanism.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout theseveral views.

' A indicates the wind chest containing a pneumatic action of anysuitable construction and A Fig. 6, the motor pneumatics which operatethe customary stickers a which in turn act upon the piano-action, notshown.

B indicates the customary tracker board; C the perforated music sheetwound on .the rollers c c, D the air motor and E the driving gear ofordinary construction by which motion is transmitted from the motor tosaid rollers and which contains the usual reversing means controlled bythe tracker board and music sheet, for automatically rewinding thelatter after the last tune on the sheet has been played.

F is the 'tube or conduit which leads from the main suction bellows Fand between which and the wind chest the cut-off device is interposed.This device consists of a box or case Gdivided by a horizontal partition9 into two chambers G G", the lower one G being connected with thesuction lows by the tube F and the upper one with the main exhaustcliannel of the rin-d chest A by a tube 9. These chambers com municatewith each other by means of a port h formed in the partition (7 and controlled by a valve h, preferably of the rock- The arm is suitably hingedat to the upper side of the case G and preferably )IOVlClGd on its underside with a strip j of cather or similar material which covers the holethrough which the sticker lc passes, thus effectually excluding theouter atmosphere at this oint-when the arm is lowered, as shown by 1111lines in Fig. 4.

The pneumatic I is secured horizontally to the underside of a bracket orsupport I and provided with. an expansion spring i of ordinaryconstruction which normally causes its movable board to depress the arm7', so as to hold the valve h cnen, said spring being more powerful thantile valveclosing spring h The pneumatic I is constantly connected withthe lower chamber G of the cut-off case by a tube 1,, Fig. .2, so thatthe pneumatic is collapsed as soon as the main suction bellows isoperated and remains in that 'conditionas long as the iii-- strumentplays,

M is a-locking device for retaining the 7' in its depressed position soas to keep i valve it open durin the time that the pneumanic I remainscol ape d. This locking device preferably consists of an upr' arrangedabove the arm j ,tween ,its ends to the i'JlftGli.

'zontal, pin .or screw 7l't,'iil6 lower arm of the ssed arm in the leverbearing upon the de normal vertical position of the lever. This lever iscontrolled by'a ne'umatic or bellows N 'which has its mova l'e boardunected with the upper arm of the lever This neumatic is controlled 1)spending valve mechanism of the pneumatic action and a perforation ofthe music sheet 55 tions and permitting the use of a small perh.. Fig."6 shows this valve -mechanism which preferably comprises the customarydouble puppet valve 1', r controlling the I usual air and exhaust ports1' 1'? which com-j municate respectively. with the air chamber R and theexhaust chamberaR, the latter. chamber being connected with the upperchamber G of the cut-foil ,boxb y t-he tube 9'. The pneumatic isconnected by a' tube 0 with the exhaust and flushing channel 1" of thecorresponding valve mechanism. When the perforation of the music sheetcorresponding to the pneumatic N registers with 'the com-; panionduct-of the tracker board, thepuppet valve 1", r is raised in a wellknown manner,

placing said pneumatic incommunication with the exhaust chamber R andcollapsing it, while when said duct is covered. by the music sheet, thepuppet valve descends, placing the pneumatic in communication with theair chamber R and expanding it. y p

The operation of the cut-oil device is as follows :When the instrumentis not in operation, the pneumatics I and N are both expanded and thelever M occupies its locking position as shown by full lines in Figs. 3and 4, thereby holding the cut-off valve it" open and placing the windchest A in communication with the main suction bellows F; -When thelatter is operated the pneumatic I is collapsed, as hereinbeloredescribed, but the cut-off valve is held open by the locking lever- M.The parts remain in this position until the tune on the music sheet hasbeen finished, when the perforation thereof whichcontrols' the-'cut-ofl'device registers with the corresponding tracker-duct and causes the un-ilocking pneumatic N to collapse, thus disengaging the locking lever fromthe valve-operating arm j, allowing the valve h to close and cutting offthe wind chest iromthe main suction bellows during the rewinding of themusic sheet, which is efiected by the automatic reversal of the drivingmechanism E, in a common manner. The lever Mis held in its unlockedposition by contact with the adjacent edge of the elevatedvalve-operating arm j, thus preventing the unlocking pneumatic N fromexpanding under these condiforation or short slot in the music sheet forcont-rolling this pneumatic. After the music sheet has been rewound, theoperation. of the main suction bellows ceases and the restoringpneumatic I therefore expands under the reaction of its spring z', itsmovable board depressing the arm and-causing the same to open thecut-oil valve h preparatory to the next operation of the instrument. Thede-- vpressionoi the arm j releases the deflected ocking lever which isnow returned to its locking position bv -the, expansion of' thepneumatic N ther eby holding the, cut-ofi valve open during the nextoperation of the instrument as hereinbefore described:

' Anautoniatic valve 0 is preferably combined-with the cut-off box orcase'G for regulating the intensityof the vacuum produced in the sameand the wind chestand hence the force with which the hanuners of theplane I action strike the strin s,

inner side 'of this port and preferably hinged to the outer wall of itscase. It is yieldingly held closed by a spring-p appliedto its stembetween a fixed bridge piece q extending across the outer side oi theport 1) and a screw nut or adjustableibutt-Qn qsmounted'. on the stem ontheouter side of thebridgepiece. The spring pis so tensione'tl astorresist opening of the regulating valve 0 by the I atmosphericpressure under a-nprmal vacu; um in the wind chest, but soas to-permitthe As shown in Fig. 5, I this valve isarrangerlm a case P-secured tovalve to open to a greater or less extent when the vacuum becomesexcessive,.the resistance of the valve being increased byscrewished byscrewing it outwardly. Iclaimasmy invention: r

'1. A cut-off for'pneumatic musical instruments, comprising a casecontaining two ing the regulating nut q inwardly and dimin- I chambersconnected by a passage, one of: said chambers having an air-inlet andthe other an air outlet, a cut-off valve controlling-said passage, apneumatic for opening said valve, retaining means [or holding saidrvalveopen.

and a second pneumatic controlling said 1etaining means, substantiallyas setforth.

2. A cut-off for pneumatic musical instruments, comprising a casecontaining two chambers connected by'aipassage, one of saidchambersha'ving an airinlet-and the rother an air outlet, a cut-off.valve controlling said passage, a pneumatic for opening sa1d valve, alocking lever for holding-said valve'open,

and a second pneumatic controllinp saidlocking lever, substantially asset forth.

3. A cut-oil for pneumatic musicaldnstruments, comprising a casecontaining two chambers connected by a passage, one of said chambershaving an airjinlet and -the other an air outlet, a, cut-off valvecontrolling said passage, a pivoted arm arranged outside of saidchambers and acting upon said valve to open the same,-a pneumatic actingon said arm, a locking lever cooperating with said arm, and a secondncumatic controlling said locking lever, su as set forth.

4. A cut-off 'fo'r pneumatic musical instrustantiallyments, comprising acase containing two chambers connected by a passage, one of saidchambers having an air inlet and the other an air outlet, a cut-oilvalve 'controlling said passage, a pivoted arm arranged outside of saidchambers, a rod interposed between said arm and the cut-oil valve, .avalve-opening pneumatic having its removable board arranged to act onsaid arm, a locking lever cooperating with said arm, and a secondpneumatic having its movable board connected with said locking lever,substantially as set forth.

5. 'A cut-oil for pneumatic musical instruments, comprising a casecontaining two chambers connectedby a passage, one of said chambershaving an air inlet and the other an air outlet, a cut-off valvecontrolling said passage, a pivoted arm acting on said valve to open thesame, apneumatic acting on said arm, a locking lever for said armpivoted to swing at an. angle thereto, the lever when in iosition tounlock the arm being arranged to bear against the side thereof, and asecond pneumatic connected with said lever, substantially as set forth,

6. In a pneumatic musical instrument,

the combinationwith a suction bellows, a.

wind chest and a pneumatic action, of a cutoll' comprising a casecontaining two chambers connected by a passage and connnunieating withthe suction bellows and the wind chest, respectively, a cut-0H valvecontrolling said passage, a pneumatic for opening said valve, retainingmeans for lmlding said valve open, and a second pneumatic controlled bythe pneumatic action and controlling said retaining means, substantiallyas set forth.

7. In a pneumatic musical instrument, the combination with a suctionbellows, a wind chest and a pneumatic action, of cutoll' comprising acase containing two eham hers connected by a passage and communicatingwith the suction bellows and the wind chest, respectively, a cut-oilvalve controlling said passage, a pneumatic constantly conununicatingwith. the suction bellows and arranged to open said valvewhen expanded,retaining means for holding'ibaid valve open, and a second pneumaticcontrolled by the pneumatic action and controlling said retaining means,substantially as set forth.

8. ln pneumatic musical instrument,

the combination'with a suction bellows, a wind chest and a pneumaticaction, of a cutoff comprising a case containing two chambers connectedby a passage and communicating with the suction bellows and the windchest, respectively, a cut-oil valve controlling said passage, apneumatic constantly com municating with the suction bellows andarranged to open said valve when expanded, a locking lever for holdingsaid valve open, and a second pneumatic controlled by the pneumaticaction and controlling said lever, substantially as set forth.

9. In a pneumatic musical instrument, the combination with the windchest and the main suction bellows, of a cut-oil device interposedbetween the wind-chest and said bellows, and having a passage for thead.- mission of the atmosphere, and an automatic regulating valvecontrolling the last-named passage, substantially as set forth.

10. In a pneumatic musical instrument, the combination with the windchest and the main suction bellows, of a cut-off comprising a box orcase containing two connected chambers communicating with the wind chestand said bellows respectively, a cut-off valve controlling the passagebetween said chambers, the cut-oil box having .a passage for theadmission of the atmosphere, and an automatic regulating valvecontrolling the last named passage, substantially as set forth.

11. In a pneumatic musical instrument, the combination with the windchest and the main suction bellows, of a cut-oil comprising a box orcase containing two connected chambers communicating with the wind chestand said bellows respectively, a cut-off valve controlling the passagebetween said chambers, the cut-off box having a passage for theadmission of the atmosphere, it regulating valve applied to thclast-named passage, a spring for resisting the opening movement of saidregulating valve, and means l'or regulating the tension of said spring,substantially as set forth.

\Vitness my hand this 6th day of J anuary, 1906.

EUGENE Dr] KLEIST.

Vfitnesses C. F. GEYER, E. M. GRAHAM.

